Walmart Canada survey: mom worth $160,000/yr

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — According to a survey conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of Walmart Canada, Canadians would pay their mom an average annual salary of $161,287 per year.

The survey marks the company’s Walmart Mom of the Year Award — the award’s second year — which gives people across the country the opportunity to recognize mothers on their special day. Canadians had a chance to nominate the important moms in their lives and asked to describe the qualities that make them special and to share why they deserve to be recognized.

"We're thrilled to bring the Mom of the Year Award back for a second year," said Emma Fox, CMO for Walmart Canada. "This award celebrates moms as both role models and integral members of the community, and gives Canadians an opportunity to say thank you for everything moms do every day."

Walmart's survey also asked Canadians who they thought embodied the quintessential TV mom. The Cosby Show's Clair Huxtable led the poll being named by one in five respondents (21%). Marge Simpson of The Simpsons came in second at 17%. When asked who their mom would be if she was a superhero, 43% said Wonder Woman, followed by the Bionic Woman at 23%. The vast majority of Canadians, however, feel that they do not thank their mom enough for everything that she does and believe that she deserves to be named Mom of the Year (both 79%).

"Being a mom is really a labor of love and though music has always been a central part of my life, the day I became a mother was the day I became who I was meant to be," said Chantal Kreviazuk, Canadian singer, songwriter and pianist. "My journey into motherhood nine years ago renewed my sense of creativity and strengthened my passion for giving back to the causes that are dear to my heart. These things combined along with my commitment to my family continue to help me in my effort to be the best version of me possible."

Professional singer, songwriter and Juno award winner Chantal Kreviazuk; comedian, actress and radio host Sophie Prégent and the 2012 Mom of the Year Katie Schulz will work together with editor-in-chief of Walmart Live Better magazine Sandra Martin and Emma Fox to review the entries and determine the recipient of this year’s award.

New this year is the My Finalist public voting, where Canadians will have the chance to review the top 20 candidates and vote for one mom they want to see become one of the eight finalists. Each finalist will receive $10,000 to spend on themselves and the remaining seven will receive $10,000 for the charity or cause of their choice. The Mom of the Year award recipient will receive $100,000 for the charity or cause of her choice. Last year, Schulz's donation benefitted Cystic Fibrosis Canada, an organization she volunteers for in support of her daughter who is living with the genetic disorder.

The Mom of the Year finalists will be flown to Toronto for a day of pampering and an awards gala on October 5. Nominations for the Mom of the Year Award close on June 16 and My Finalist public voting will run from July 4 through Aug. 1. The eight finalists will be notified on approximately Aug. 6.

The survey was completed online from April 22-24 using Leger Marketing's online panel, LegerWeb, with a sample of 1,500 Canadians 19 years of age or older. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Leger Marketing's online panel has approximately 460,000 members nationally, with between 10,000 and 20,000 new members added each month, as well as a retention rate of 90%. Panel members are randomly selected to receive email invitations to the individual surveys.

Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of more than 370 locations nationwide serving more than one million customers each day, as well as its flagship online store, www.walmart.ca, which is visited by more than 250,000 Canadians daily.